Director's Statement
Oshosheni Hiveluah
Tjitji the Himba Girl was such an inspiring and bold screenplay to read and the character really won over my heart. Here was the opportunity to tell a story within an interesting Namibian tribal group, that keep very much to themselves. I have always been very fascinated by Himba culture and their unpretentious way of life.
In many ways I totally understand what Tjitji is going through. What do you do with your dreams that don’t seem to fit into the cultural and traditional set up within which you were born, within which you exist? I wanted to tell a story about a young girl’s courage and her fight for her dreams.
It was very important and vital for us to not portray some of the cultural aspects as a negative thing, hence the inclusion of funny and light and hopefully inspiring moments in the film. I felt it important to portray Tjitji as a person we can all relate to, who laughs and gets angry and just because she’s a Himba girl, it doesn’t mean she doesn’t have dreams and ambition too. We wanted Tjitji to be a Himba girl heroine, a young girl, who stands up for what she believes in without defying and insulting the culture that has nurtured her into the young woman she’s become.
In many ways I totally understand what Tjitji is going through. What do you do with your dreams that don’t seem to fit into the cultural and traditional set up within which you were born, within which you exist? I wanted to tell a story about a young girl’s courage and her fight for her dreams.
It was very important and vital for us to not portray some of the cultural aspects as a negative thing, hence the inclusion of funny and light and hopefully inspiring moments in the film. I felt it important to portray Tjitji as a person we can all relate to, who laughs and gets angry and just because she’s a Himba girl, it doesn’t mean she doesn’t have dreams and ambition too. We wanted Tjitji to be a Himba girl heroine, a young girl, who stands up for what she believes in without defying and insulting the culture that has nurtured her into the young woman she’s become.
